Could somebody please explain the antenna setup on the 97 Accord? I have the stock am/fm cassette player. I get OK FM reception, but lousy AM, mostly from engine noise. I've changed plugs, plug wires, dist cap & rotor. Haven't looked at the coil yet. I don't have an external mast, and don't see them on other Accords either. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

The attenna is actually made of the same material as the defroster element. If you look on your back window you will see it at the top. It looks just like the defroster, but if you trace the lines, you'll see where the two meet. It's at the very top and starts in the center of the window.

If it has been damaged by tint or stickers, you could probably repair it with liquid copper or a defroster repair kit or something. I know my defroster lines were shot after the previous owner deep sixed his bubbly tint job.

 

Thanks for the info. I don't see any damage to the antenna, so I guess my next move is to check out the ground wires and connections.

 

There should be a wire under the plastic trim pieces back there that carries the signal for the antenna. I'd check that too. It's either on the sides under the plastic or at the top of the window - I can't remember exactly...

 

as a side note.... AM sucks in many cars thats why they generally dont place music on it....... after all if you have an upgraded system listening to music off AM can damage the speakers

but im sure youre going mainly for sports casts or rush ^_-

 

Yep! Did some checking under the hood and the new coil wire wasn't in all the way. Problem solved. Thanks for all the help.

 

"coil wire"? Can you say what that is and where it is under the hood? I have the same problem with my 97 EX, which gets lousy AM reception. Thanks.

 

He was refering to a bad reception due to engine noise, the coil wire that was loose on his car caused interferance, if you're having this issue to then start at the spark plugs, trace those wires back to the distributor cap, if those are all pushed in/on good then in the center of the distributor cap is another wire that goes down to a "cannister" looking deal (the coil) that wire from the distributor to the coil is the coil wire, make sure that one is on good.... Hope this helps!

Welcome aboard!

 

Thanks.

I have a 97 EX with the 4 cylinder. There is no 5th wire coming out of the distributor cap. That wire is for the ignition coil on other ignition system designs, but on this model the coil is actually inside the distributor cap. Electronic ignition, right?

Here's another data point for this problem.... when I turn the ignition on (not the engine, just the ignition) and have the AM radio turned on, I get a short (1 second or so) static blip, which then goes off. It's almost like the fuel pump is making the noise, since that kicks off if the engine isn't on. After that, the radio is fine, until I turn the engine on. Then, I get a continuous level of static. I can change engine speeds, but the static never varies, so I don't believe it's directly related to an engine component like plugs, wires and such, since they make noise in relation to engine speed. It has to be something else, which is always working at the same speed and is thus creating an even level of static. It's not some external interference source, either, since I can drive the car around anywhere and the noise is the same. I can't believe it's the fuel pump, but I don't know if that runs continuously or if that changes the amount it pumps in relation to engine speed. Maybe it is.

Hmmmmmmm........